Monday, March 10, 2008

Romm's Alarmism

Here's a perfect example of how Joseph Romm, who paints himself as some kind of climate expert, exaggerates the dangers of climate change:

It’s 3 a.m. and your children are safe and sleeping. But there’s a phone in the White House and it’s ringing. Something is happening in the world….

The 44th President, groggily: “Hello?”

Voice: “Mr(s) President, we have a situation.”

President: “Terrorists?”

Voice: “No, it’s the climate again. Another series of tornadoes has struck Manhattan. There’s massive damage and loss of life and a complete power outage.”

It is, of course, absurd to suggest that climate change is going to be so quick that tornadoes are going to ravage Manhattan anytime soon. It's just a completely unscientific position, designed as nothing but a scare tactic, and I can't believe anyone gives him any credibility with stunts like this.

But, like David Roberts, the more he exaggerates the more attention he gets. It's kind of depressing for a legitimate science writer.